{"id":10938,"date":"2018-05-17T11:17:09","date_gmt":"2018-05-17T09:17:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.marjoleininhetklein.com\/?p=10938"},"modified":"2020-01-20T16:23:07","modified_gmt":"2020-01-20T15:23:07","slug":"watersaving-angels","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.marjoleininhetklein.com\/en\/2018\/05\/17\/watersaving-angels\/","title":{"rendered":"(Water)saving angels"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the meantime, three Tiny Houses are already placed at our little piece of paradise in Alkmaar. It\u2019s a lot of fun! Three houses that are each inhabited by one person. We are living off-grid so aren\u2019t connected to any public utilities. Marloes arrived in late March and Marja in late April. We haven\u2019t had much rain since then, so their new water tanks have hardly got any water in them. So off they went with jerry cans! My own 900 liter water tank went completely dry this week. But we\u2019ve gotten some helping hands: the fire department of Alkmaar helped us out!<\/em><\/p>\n\"\"<\/a>\n

When you\u2019re living off-grid, you have to get by with whatever nature gives you. That means being thrifty with electricity in winter, and with water in spring and summer. I\u2019ve lived in my Tiny House for nearly two years and this is the second time I\u2019ve run out of water. Not so bad, right? Both times it happened in spring \u2013 apparently there\u2019s not a lot of rain in Alkmaar in April and May. Although there\u2019s plenty of rain elsewhere, it just seems to pass us by. A 900 liter water tank isn\u2019t that much though; you would need at least 2000 liters of water storage. That\u2019s why this Monday my dad surprised me with a brand new IBC tank of 1000 liter, the sweetheart! But still, it\u2019s not going to rain any time soon, so this doesn\u2019t solve the water issues right now.<\/p>\n\"\"<\/a>\n

I had to watch Marloes and Marja dragging jerry cans for days. That\u2019s ok if it doesn\u2019t last for more than a few days. Boiling water to do the dishes, showering at a friend\u2019s place, washing your hands with a measuring cup of water on the counter\u2026it was time we called for help. Unfortunately, it\u2019s not customary in the Netherlands to have large amounts of water delivered. I asked for a price from a company in Belgium, but it was incredibly expensive. Wouldn\u2019t the fire department want to help us out just this once? If I explain to them what it\u2019s for – not for luxury but for the basic needs around the house: washing, drinking, showering? A few months ago I talked to a fireman at the supermarket downtown and asked him if I could ask them for help if there were to be a shortage and dry weather again in the future. He told me to just give it a try and that it wouldn\u2019t hurt to ask. So I took the plunge (sort of) and sent them a message explaining the situation. Very soon I got an answer from Koen Janse de Jonge. I was so excited to read they were willing to help us out just this once. Fantastic!<\/p>\n